Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-11

alarm bell from the cars. We were then
about in the middle of the bridge and it
struck but once. My hand was within a
loot of the lever which applies the air
brakes. The brakes let off before reach.
| ing the bridge. | never work steam across
the bridge. applied the brakes instant
~ put dld not reverse the engine at all.
Alter applying brakes looked out of the
WINDOW and saw the rear Pullman falling
from the rear end of the bridge. In falling
IL drew the three next cars with it when
couplings evidently broke between the
smoker and the first passenger car, leav.
lngismOker on the track. My engine can
10 standstlll Il little beyond the farther
END OF the bridge and as | remember the
rear end of the smoker stood little on
the bridge, the other end being on the
enDankment as was the baggage car and
engine. Neither of the two forward cars
nor my engine were off from the track or
injured. My reason for not reversing the
engine at once was that my first thought
was that a passenger for the Passump-
SIC railroad had perhaps been carried by
w mite River junction and wished to be
let off. The failure to do this, in my es-
ulmatlon, made no difference with the re-
suit, as he cars had fallen before it was
possible Tor me to do so and | consider
mat reversing in this instance would have
peen more dangerous. We hardly ever
reverse the engine unless we know of dan
ger ahead. There is nothing unusual IN
lne Del alarm. AS soon as my engine
came to a standstill jumped to the
ground ana ran to the rear of the
cars ana looking off saw-it being
a very light night-cars lying on the ice
pEGioW. Uook TINS all in at Il
glance ran back to my engine where | Sc
cure. coal shovel and lantern. then
Weni uoWh the SIDE OF the bank on the
noItn sue OF bridge instead of the same
s!ue me cars were on because the
other side was so StpeD As il was
l oaU uoWh on top OF the embank-
LiieHI ana slld the whole length
lapItly, rasslng under the bridge
aliu lIlilledlateiy reached the hrst passen-
iel .iaiIl' Whtch was ABOUT the middle OF
tne river IL mad not broken through the
NC 9 aliu CueIe was no water III II, put IL
eG6lddenllS struck on inc corner and sqush-
eu ooMn 10 ABOUT nan us helght and lay
20 i'9 S 9, WIN Iue oouIoln toward the
pnIuSe. ne Wnole uraln lay IN the same
G ea.o ~ upon Chg ice as IL was mace up be.
. .Ile laiillne; mere We're lett with me OF
' tlle lallIoau eilployes VINO had not gone
IN I'M WIN we WieCh, my fireman. FRANK
IN ~ "oiiei, M Cole' Ihe oaSSaSenlaster,
.he eAPIeSa messenger ana Two mail
,hSento Wuose names uon KNOW Inc
'2as anu my nreman went
uomh 70 tne wreck win me When we
iedCneu IL hre nau started from the stove
III ene rear Oh lne Irst passenger car and
ulu nou loon iarther IMAM that car, but
az once uld what could to put out the
nre by throwing on snow with my shovel.
l MS at once saw to be useless as
the nre mad already made so much
heduWay ana we at once began to help
people out. FIRST TOOK out through the
WINDOW TWO ladies' and two men whose
haules 90 not Know l heard number
crying LOT help inside the car and passing
along toward the rear saw Mr.. Sturte-
,alt' tue conductor, craving upon his
= r. nf IN N Il
PACK an on nre broke the windows be-
lore MN ana shoVeled IN snow as he pass
ed along toward the front OF the car,
trying 10 ma a place where he could
get through the side OF the car which was
on It's top. These windows We're all
oostrucled by broken seats ana debris
Near the 'front.' END he found an unOb-
strncted window through which assist
eu nl'l ana lald him upon the clear ice
undef the bridge while went to assist
others. Inc next one we assisted was
ME. IeWkSDury, ana after TINS we helped
TWO other men. My fireman craWled in
sue Ihe car removing the seats ana other
distinctions that pinned them down and
we dllted theln ont OF the window above.
Hrst saw IRE III the rear or the first
passenger car, but am confident the fire
originated IN each OF the four cars. The
Wlud was blowing quite strong from the
Horth No part OF the bridge was on flre
uhtll the flames from the burning. cars
ieapeu hlgh enough TO reach II. should
Judge II TO be 30 feet from
the ice TO the bottom or the woodwork of
the bridge; thlnk the Dre communlcat-
eu 10 the DrluEe almost simultaneously
from the whole length or the train. Noone
put we three assisted IN any manner in
lhe rescue III the nrSt coach so lar as can
tell; III Is not my duty to couple the air
brakes. The ilrst brakeman's duty is to
couple on to the engine only and the rear
brakeman Is responsible Tor the rest
mere Is no question that all We're thor
oughly connected ana worked perfectly.
After resculng all that 1t was possible
from the car began removing the six we
mad rescued to the Paine dwelling at the
end OF the bridge Many We're without
clothing, the night being bitterly cold.
Inc ladies' ana Two gentlemen were able
TO walk 10 Palnes house, FeWksbury
was the last one rescued by us and we
took SfurteVant to the house, but he hay
ing IAN longest, l dld not attempt to res
cue from the other cars. but saw others
DONG 50. mink II was about 10 minutes
before the car was completely enyeloped
N44l